A SEMINAR is set to be held in Birmingham in a bid to stop rogue gold traders from ripping off Asian consumers.

The event has been organised after two probes by Birmingham Trading Standards found families living in Asian areas of the city were particularly vulnerable to dodgy shops selling unhallmarked jewellery.

The first investigation saw officers swoop on dozens of inner-city stores in Alum Rock, Saltley, Sparkbrook and Sparkhill, where they seized thousands of pounds worth of jewellery over fears they were fakes being passed off as real gold.

Then last December the team seized £50,000 of dodgy jewellery from shops in Washwood Heath, Bordesley Green and Handsworth, in a separate investigation.

In the haul of 104 items from 21 shops, 12 pieces had not been hallmarked and 19 were lower carat gold than advertised – meaning customers paid well over the odds.

Following the investigations, The British Jewellers’ Association (BJA), Birmingham Assay Office, Birmingham Trading Standards and West Midlands Police have joined forces to stage a seminar in a bid to highlight the issue.

Simon Rainer, BJA’s chief executive, said: “The escalating price of gold has unfortunately led to an increasing rate of crime against the Asian community.

“Since 22-karat gold is the common trade across the Asian community, customers are vulnerable to being cheated if the jewellery is not of the stated fineness.

“If it has not been assayed and hallmarked, which is a legal requirement to protect both the consumer and the trader, they have no way of telling what percentage of gold it contains.”

Michael Allchin, chief executive at Birmingham Assay Office, added: “We are using the seminar as a great opportunity to explain the importance of hallmarking and how we can work with local traders to ensure they stay the right side of the law.”

The new crackdown came after Birmingham Assay Office, which carries out hallmarking, was saved from the chop last October.

The historic office – the largest of its kind in the world – was due to be closed with 120 job losses in plans to scrap hallmarking. But it was saved after the government decided to preserve the 700-year-old tradition.

The sale of gold is currently big business with prices running at record highs. Five years ago, an ounce of gold traded at about £300 but today it is worth around £1,100.

The scrap gold trade in particular is booming, with gold items often worth more as scrap than new.

For more information about the seminar, to be held on April 30 at the Jewellery Quarter Conference Centre, call Holly Burnett on 0121 237 1144.